The director of NASA's Ames Research Center in California casually let slip mention of the 100-Year Starship recently, a new program funded by the super-secret government agency, DARPA. In a talk at San Francisco's Long Conversation conference, Simon “Pete” Worden said DARPA has $1M to spend, plus another $100,000 from NASA itself, for the program, which will initially develop a new kind of propulsion engine that will take us to Mars or beyond.

There's only one problem: The astronauts won't come back.

The 100-year ship would leave Earth with the intention of colonizing a planet, but it would likely be a one-way trip because of the time it takes to travel 35 million miles. That’s a daunting prospect, partly because of the ethical dilemma, and partly because it may be the only recourse.

"What psychological challenges should we anticipate in those who volunteer in good faith and with great courage, yet find themselves confronting misgivings or loneliness or feelings of rage or beset with mental illness?" asked Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist
and member of the Fox News Medical A-Team.

Much more at the link, and it sounds like it's a very real possibility in the works.

PoliCon

10-30-2010, 09:52 AM

colonize what planet?

Kay

10-30-2010, 10:20 AM

I would volunteer right now to go.

This sounds like a good idea for a TV show. They could call it Lost in Space or something like that. It could chronicle a regular family, parents, 2 or 3 kids, maybe a mischievous little boy always getting into trouble. A robot helper, maybe a stowaway doctor.....

This would be perfect for you, you're short and you would fit better, besides you could make friends with Moo.

megimoo

10-30-2010, 11:22 AM

This would be perfect for you, you're short and you would fit better, besides you could make friends with Moo.

Not me !It's would be a perfect opportunity to ship all of America's troubles off planet.

With separate pods we could load it up with Socialistic Liberal/Progressives,Queers of both species and Muslims to start their own little off world utopia ! In one year all of the Queers would all be dead minus their heads and asses and the liberals would be serving coffee to their Muslim masters !

PoliCon

10-30-2010, 11:25 AM

Not me !It's would be a perfect opportunity to ship all of America's troubles off planet.

With separate pods we could load it up with Socialistic Liberal/Progressives,Queers of both species and Muslims to start their own little off world utopia ! In one year all of the Queers would all be dead minus their heads and asses and the liberals would be serving coffee to their Muslim masters !

what was the name of the movie/book where they did that? I'm trying to think of it . . . the planet loaded up all of their idiots and told them the world was coming to an end and they put them on ship and sent them out as a way of ridding their planet of wastes and drains on society . . . .

Rockntractor

10-30-2010, 12:26 PM

Not me !It's would be a perfect opportunity to ship all of America's troubles off planet.

With separate pods we could load it up with Socialistic Liberal/Progressives,Queers of both species and Muslims to start their own little off world utopia ! In one year all of the Queers would all be dead minus their heads and asses and the liberals would be serving coffee to their Muslim masters !
m00 not Mr.Moo.

hampshirebrit

10-30-2010, 12:37 PM

DARPA has $1M to spend, plus another $100,000 from NASA

Seems quite low. That sort of amount won't fund much more than the cup-holders.

Bailey

10-30-2010, 12:37 PM

This would be perfect for you, you're short and you would fit better, besides you could make friends with Moo.

Poli would be a good fit (pun intended) he would use less precious resources :D

Starbuck

10-30-2010, 12:44 PM

Seems quite low. That sort of amount won't fund much more than the cup-holders.

Bingo. They're playing games and pilfering the US treasury in the bargain. The smart people know that attempting to colonizing any planet like Mars would be hopeless. But they get to keep their jobs and draw up exotic plans. At our expense.